Clive James: ‘It is not yet against the law to be frivolous…’

"In the US, it's a reason to hand names to the FBI

Last week there were several sunny days in succession, arousing hopes that a teasingly hesitant spring might finally be arriving. A few birds showed up. One neat little bird that perched for a full minute in my maple tree was identified by a bird-wise friend as a coal tit. Provocatively, I suggested that, in view of the current hostility to anyone still evincing tolerance of fossil fuels, it might be better to call it a renewables tit. The bird flew off and my expert friend went home, leaving me trembling at the daring of my own heresy.

One of my most easily angered critics has been posting tweets, railing against my "climate blindness". Already hard to please by my work in general, he says that the occasional remarks in which I flaunt my "science denial" have tested his patience "to the limit". I am left to guess what he might do if his patience is tested beyond the limit. If he shows up at my door in a tank, I could try engaging him in a discussion of the renewables tit I just saw in my garden. Or I could try calling the police.